Less than 30 miles from
Land's End off the coast of Cornwall lie the beautiful
Isles of Scilly (pronounced "Silly").
Often also called the
Scilly Isles, this small group of islands has
magnificent sandy beaches and its position within the
warming effect of the Gulf Stream provides a mild
climate which makes it popular with visitors.
There are five main inhabited islands; St
Mary's is the largest and has the airport and main
harbour for the Scillonian III, Tresco, St Martin's, St
Agnes, and Bryher. In addition there are hundreds of
islets to explore.
The Scillonian III ferry from Penzance provides a
regular service to and from the islands but, if you are
impatient, you can fly by helicopter from Penzance
heliport or by "Skybus" from Land's End Airport.
Impatience is something you need to leave behind on the
mainland, though, because the pace of life on the
islands is slower and more relaxed … the way life used
to be and, perhaps, the way nature intended.
The climate has
contributed to the Scilly Isles' reputation for early flowers
and produce and for the magnificent gardens which attract
thousands of visitors annually.
In addition,
there are plenty of other places to visit including castles,
galleries, museums, craft centres and a wide selection of shops
and restaurants catering for the tourist.
For the more active, watersports like sailing,
windsurfing, diving, kite-surfing are obviously
something easy to find when you are never more than a
mile or so from the sea but there are also opportunities
for riding, fishing, walking or simply watching the
abundant wildlife.
There always
plenty going on and the towns are a hive of activity but the
islands
also have wide expanses of tranquil beaches where you can
get away from it all and relax ... or just sit and watch the
bustling harbours as the world goes by.
If you are planning a visit, we
currently offer a small selection
of accommodation on the Isles of Scilly including
hotels, bed and breakfasts, guest houses, self-catering
and campsites.
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